Remember history before declaring victory

Those in the media who are saying (more and more lately) that things are going so smoothly in Iraq that we can "bring the troops home" may want to consider some key events in history. Just when those back home before Christmas in 1944 were saying the war was won in Europe, the Germans unleashed what would be called the Battle of the Bulge. Later in 1968 when politicians and others back home were saying we'd won the war, the North Vietnamese attacked all over South Vietnam in what was called the Tet Offensive. The remainder of this year is going to get real interesting while we ponder and debate who is going to lead our nation next, and whether or not our mission in Iraq is finished. Then there's Afghanistan, which is not getting easier. And what's on the horizon we aren't aware of yet? It's wise to remember history before making any declarations of victory.

Exploring the Bering Sea

This photo I took is not that sharp, primarily because when I took it, we were bobbing up and down in a Zodiac inflatable boat right behind the one about to enter a cave in the Shumagin Islands, and taking a photo was less important to me than falling off the boat into 50 degree water. But, it does convey the sorts of things we explored during a 2-week vacation last July to Alaska, the Bering Sea and Far Eastern Russia. We spent a lot of time in the Zodiacs exploring, sometimes riding up to a quarter of a mile from the 100-passenger cruise ship we were on, to some land destination. Most times we had to wade to shore (calf length rubber boots on) while battling the cold breaking waves. Thankfully, the air temperature was not that bad.

Muddy Iraq

I read an article today on the Stars and Stripes website about the effects of mud on troops at Camp Victory in Iraq. Photos there tell the story, but better still are some of the candid descriptions by Soldiers of the effects of mud on their daily lives. One said it was the worst part of his deployment, even worse than mortar attacks. Mud in Iraq reminded me of my tours of duty in South Vietnam. When I was with the 62nd Engineer Battalion near Phan Rang in 1965, I remember falling several times off a wooden plank walkway over a drainage ditch between my sleeping tent and the company shower area. It was like…head to the shower wearing flip-flops, slip off plank into the mud. Take shower, clean off the mud. Return to sleeping tent with wet flip flops and again slip off plank into the mud. Return to shower to clean off mud a second time. And so it went all through the monsoon season. From what I learned today, my hatred of mud in Vietnam is no different than the ill feelings those in Iraq have about the sticky goo.

I could go for this academic field

According to a news report posted on NASCAR's website, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte recently launched a new American Studies class that focuses primarily on the history and culture of NASCAR from its inception to its current state as the country's most popular form of motorsports; "Motorsports in the South: A Southern Tradition" The university also touts its Motorsports Engineering program. Other schools in the south and across the country are offering new courses in mechanical engineering, aerodynamics, tire technology and other areas of auto racing. Old Dominion University in Hampton, Va., recently began offering a motorsports technology degree as well as the Virginia Motorsports Technology Center in Henry County. Designed to boost the motorsports industry in Virginia, the commonwealth poured $1.2 million into the facility, which is located near Martinsville Speedway (photo). The center will house companies that build racecars and engines and will link with a new advanced motorsports curriculum at Patrick Henry Community College. If I were a recent high school graduate looking for an academic field to enter, this might be it.

Sunrises means more up there

When you get up early, like I have for most of my life, it means more if there is something to get your body and mind quickly stimulated. Last year I spent about a week with family at a rustic 1940's vintage cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, near Newberry. An unwritten chore for the first person to arise, was to make coffee, using an old fashioned percolator (the kind with the glass bubble on the lid, showing you what's going on inside). We could have used the hand pump over the sink to draw water from an old well for the coffee, but its slight tan color and unknown number of buggies and microbes present spelled "bottled water" instead. The cooking stove used bottled propane gas (stored outside) that had been rigged to work with a 1950's white porcelain kitchen variety, and when you opened the gas valve full tilt, it took the chill off the essentially unheated kitchen area. After breakfast, dishes were done in an old discarded kitchen sink (the faucet was not connected to a water supply, it was for show only), using the above mentioned pump to draw water into large pots, which we used to boil the water to kill the bad things that might have been present. Washing was done in the metal pan shown, and rinsed in the red plastic tub in the adjacent sink section. This process was repeated each day, but we never got tired of the somewhat laborious process of simply making coffee, breakfast and cleaning up afterwards. I'm ready to go back this year, for a longer stay. Sunrises mean more up there.

Still troubled

I remain critical of the Army's recruiting program, even though the objective number of recruits is being met as of recent months. It's the fact that there has been a declining trend, pertaining to whether or not a recruit has a high school degree. Reports indicate that around 70% of recruits in the 2007 budget year had a degree when they joined. The Army's stated goal has been 90% and that has not been met in over three years. Looking ahead, the Army plans to grow in size by 74,000 in all components by 2010. The question is, what steps will the Army take along the way to either curb or reduce the falling trend in high school graduates being recruited, without further lowering standards. This is why I remain troubled.

Cold no help for the greatest

The bitter cold in Green Bay last evening was no help at all for one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the game (my opinion of course) Brett Favre. I have been a Packer fan for most of my serious football watching life, so my heart was with Brett throughout. But, I also admired the grit and skill of the Giant's quarterback (young Eli Manning) who basically outplayed the veteran. While it would have been great to see the Pack go back to the Super Bowl, I really don't think they could beat the Patriots. The Giants, on the other hand, may be able to do just that. Still, I'll miss seeing Brett in the big game with stubby beard, strong arm and youthful spirit, playing with guys way younger, and having a wonderful time accurately throwing the football like a rocket. Last night was different for him it seems to me. Maybe it was the long season catching up with him, maybe it was an expectation that the Packers could pull out another win no matter the adversity, or maybe it was simply the brutal cold which seemed to effect him more than it did Manning. Whatever, it was a great game no matter who you were rooting for.

Slow learners

I continue to be amazed at the number of people who use computer word processing programs, and still treat the process like they are using an old manual typewriter. For example, why do people use spaces to position text, instead of using the tab key, or better still the right, left or center justification style feature available in just about any word processor program. Why do people have mis-spelled words in documents after they finish, when most word processors have spell checkers built in. Why do people fail to read what they write, before sending it to someone else to use. I learned a long time ago, that the best way to proof what you've written is to go back and read it aloud, word by word, before making it the final version. If things like this were happening to people who have never used a computer before, then I could understand. But, for those who have been using computers for a long time, either desk top or lap top, then I guess we must be dealing with a lot of slow learners out there.

Don't wake him up!

During a 2-week cruise to Alaska and the Bering Sea last summer, I was extremely fortunate to have been able to view an amazing number of Kodiak bears in their natural habitat in Katmai National Park. Not only did I capture this photo of a sleeping bear, but I also got one of a bear swimming, several with cubs, and the greatest one of all…a large Kodiak walking directly past a bald eagle who was perched on a log near the ocean, carefully guarding it's spot from the furry intruder. Our trip also took us to very remote islands in the Bering Sea, and to the far eastern part of Russian Siberia. Listening to native people who rely on the sea for much of their subsistence, we learned much about how just a shift here and there in weather patterns can effect the long-term welfare of those personally involved. I'll post some more photos later.

Crooked Road

We live right near Virginia's "Crooked Road". It's called "Virginia's Music Heritage Trail", and runs from Rocky Mount, Virginia to a point near the Kentucky-Virginia border, in the far western part of the Commonwealth. I've driven the entire route, and frequently visit small Appalachian Mountain towns such as Floyd, Virginia, which hosts annually one of the best mountain music festivals anywhere. The town is rich in those things that make living in this region of Virginia so special to me. Sure, we don't have a lot a the big city stuff that attracts millions, nor do we have a flourishing job market. In fact, Henry County where we live usually has the highest unemployment rate in Virginia. Floyd is a 40 minute drive from our home, along a winding two-lane road quickly rising in elevation across the Blue Ridge Mountains. While driving that road, I normally listen to WBRF FM in Galax, Virginia, or either to my iPod or a CD containing lots of mountain music, some recorded near Floyd, with local talent picking and singing in traditional string band fashion. The photo above captures just a small part of the culture in this region, and I can assure you it's much more fun walking the merchandise crowded aisles of this general store in Floyd, than it is at any large town retailer. In short, this is why my I like living here.

New recruiting ads

Would one of these new ads make you want to join the Army. Click here to view the ads on Army Times website.

If you are a photographer…

If you are, a photo person that is, then I highly recommend you check out B&H Photo if you are looking for cameras or related supplies. I have never, ever, recommended any commercial business online, but B&H stands so far above any that I have done business with, that I am compelled to point them out. When they say you'll have what you ordered in 3-5 business days, at normal UPS rates, you will. In fact, I got my latest online order in just 2 days, and I live in a non-urban region of SW Virginia. Customer service is superb if you have a problem. When they sent me a photo-vest without a waist belt (apparently it had slipped out of the vest as it was being packed), I called and they had my belt to me the next day, FEDEX overnight at zero extra cost to me. Knowing how many deployed Soldiers and Civilians these days have their own digital or film cameras and gear to record what they are doing, B&H will most likely have exactly what is needed, no matter how hard it may be to find elsewhere.

Totally unrelated post

This has absolutely zero to do with Army Engineering, but I saw this on a photo site I look at every day, and it's very funny…at least it is to me. It's a video about Bill Gates (Microsoft) retirement. Check it out here

Stars and Stripes

Perhaps you have visited the Stars & Stripes website before; but if not, you may want to check it out. During every overseas assignment I had in Germany and South Vietnam (two times each), it was "Stripes" that kept me informed. Some people said it was either too political, or too sensational in its reporting. For me, it was just right, and I still read the news there daily at their website.

Army Center of Military History

The Army's CMH has a new website. Totally revised interface from what they had before. Check it out here.

2008 is here

Speaking as a person who once partied hardy until the wee hours of January 1st, last evening was definitely fun (with family) but the wild dancing and singing part is no more…at least for me. My wife and I went over to our daughter's house (she has three kids), and celebrated the New Year's arrival by eating home-made turkey noodle soup (Christmas Day leftovers), during which I had exactly two beers (Labatt Blue), shared a bowl of shrimp with my oldest granddaughter (we left some for the others), gorged ourselves with chips, dip and veggies, and then went into what has become our normal New Year's routine…play board games until 11PM, when we shoot off as many confetti "poppers" as we can, with each of us wearing paper party hats, then promptly at 1145, we move to the TV to watch Dick Clark ring in another year. His health has declined over the past year, but I was amazed that he's still "the only one" most people want to recite the countdown. My wife had her digital camera ready to take a shot of the TV as the hour struck midnight, capturing the 2008 logo image for her scrapbook. In past years, she was not always fast enough to get the "right" image. But this year, thanks to a digital video recorder box, I was able to rewind the picture and then pause it right where she wanted it. Afterwards, we opened a bottle of champagne and toasted the new year…one glass each. We arrived home at 1 AM, well past my normal bedtime, but much earlier than when we used to roll in back "in the day" when we partied with Army friends at various locations in the U.S. and (our favorite) with those we served alongside in Germany in the 32nd Army Air Defense Command (80-82), and 18th Engineer Brigade (86-88). I guess this has been said way too many times already today by lots of other bloggers, but it's hard to believe 2008 is here…already.